


PVP(umpkin Spice)

by aliceslantern, Arxsia, Carbonpixel, Ennarcia



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Discord Chats, Emotional idiots, M/M, Online Friendship, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Roommates, Secret Crush, Zemyx - Freeform, Zemyx Day (Kingdom Hearts), and a very tiny mention of implied SoRiKai, with a dash of Riku
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:20:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26313313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliceslantern/pseuds/aliceslantern, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arxsia/pseuds/Arxsia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carbonpixel/pseuds/Carbonpixel, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ennarcia/pseuds/Ennarcia
Summary: Zexion and Arpeggio are Discord friends. They chat in private messages, raid in Verum Rex together, and may or may not have feelings for each other.Ienzo and Demyx are college roommates. They hate each other, for the most part. At least they can both agree on pumpkin spice lattes.A Zemyx Day fic collaboration from the S.S.Zemyx server!
Relationships: Demyx/Ienzo (Kingdom Hearts), Demyx/Zexion (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 38





	PVP(umpkin Spice)

**Author's Note:**

> Happy 2nd Zemyx Day of 2020!!
> 
> Specifically for today, the S.S. Zemyx Discord Server hosted a collaborative fic-writing event! Over the course of the past five days, four of our writing members teamed up on a Google Doc in one glorious, inspirational, chaotic, frankenstein-esque fic-writing bonanza! That's right, the fic you're about to read is the product of -four- people's efforts!
> 
> (A HUGE thanks to my co-writers: Aliceslantern, Ennarcia, and Carbonpixel. This was a hell of a lot of fun to do and I'm immensely proud of us!!)
> 
> Enjoy!! :D

Demyx hated his roommate. Okay, no, hate was a strong word, and Demyx did his best to be a friendly, outgoing sort of guy, so ‘hate’ was definitely too strong a word. He liked to make friends. Having friends was nice. Having friends was _very_ nice, and so, he tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. But his roommate was a different story, and Demyx did not like his roommate very much at all.

At least he was easy on the eyes, because everything _else_ about him got on Demyx’s last nerve. His name was Ienzo, but his name might as well have been "Jerk," with a capital J. When he wasn't hogging the Internet bandwidth doing God-knows-what on a chunky Alienware laptop, he was lecturing Demyx on the virtues of keeping the floor free from dirty clothes and giving empty soda cans a proper burial in the plastic wastebasket by the door. Lame. Also, he was a little condescending. That _jerk_. 

One day, Ienzo burst into their dorm room with the gusto of a hurricane aiming to speak to a manager about a botched coffee order. He swung his laptop bag onto his mattress. It bounced when it landed. "Out," he commanded.

Demyx looked up from his phone. He sat with his legs crossed on his own bed, his Discord app open to a private message thread on his phone. In a few minutes, one of his server friends, a guy with the display name "The Cloaked Schemer" but going by his Discord handle, Zexion#1309, would be starting a voice call with him. It was kind of a big deal--they had been chatting in their shared server for almost a year, and in private messages for almost as long, but they had yet to actually _speak_ to each other. "I'm actually busy," Demyx said.

"I don't care. Out."

It turned into an argument, of course, neither yielding and probably disturbing their neighbors with the yelling. Yep, Demyx didn’t like his roommate one bit. 

He ended up in the lounge by the kitchen, utterly fuming, cursing his idea to “go rando” with a roommate all the while. _It’s the best way to make friends, Demyx_ , his mother had told him. _What better friend than a roommate?_

Very funny.

At least he’d been able to grab his phone. Of course, Zexion was wondering where the hell he was. 

> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Do you need to reschedule?
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** roommate’s being a dick and kicked me out. Sorry!
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Ah, I too am having roommate troubles. I can sympathize. I know too well what it’s like when one’s privacy is denied.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** he’s driving me NUTS! 
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Have you tried talking to him about it?
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** He didn’t exactly uh seem receptive to talking
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** It’s always a good idea to try for maturity first.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** I did! Not my fault the guy wasn’t having it.
> 
> Anyway. Id hate to let that guy take up any more time.
> 
> Hru?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Doing as well as I can, I suppose. I’m enjoying my classes so far. It seems a little easy, but then again, it is only one of the first weeks. Things should pick up more by midterms.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** ure too smart zexy. And didnt you skip a grade?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** A year, yes. I don’t think they call them grades in college.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Considering some of the people ive met, couldve fooled me.
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** If I’m hoping to have a grad degree within five years, I have to fast track it. I’d rather not spend much more time in undergrad than necessary.
> 
> Though I am _especially_ resentful that, despite the fact that I am technically a sophomore, I’m considered _enough_ of a freshman to still be required to dorm.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** That blows
> 
> But dude, ure here. Might as well try to enjoy the journey, yaknow?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Oh, Arpeggio. Your naivete is too obvious sometimes. It’s sweet, I think.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** har har
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I am disappointed though. I was looking forward to meeting you--in a manner of speaking. You’re probably one of the most sane people from our Verum Rex server.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Issa game, bro. Some of them, idk, take it a little too seriously
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Well, aspects of it _are_ worth being taken seriously, but I understand what you mean.
> 
> Though the ship wars are grating.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** ha! Yeah.
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** We’ll have to find some other time, then.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Mann i was hoping to see if you sound as smart as you type
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** You flatter me.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Do you think if we lived near each other we would hang out?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** If it’s all the same, I’d prefer to keep my location anonymous.
> 
> At least for now.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** I know. Just a hypothetical question
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I’d like to say yes.
> 
> But for all I know, you’re actually a forty year old serial killer who lives in his mother’s basement.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** harsh
> 
> You listen to 2 many true crime podcasts 
> 
> Anyway, I g2g. See if the roomie will let me back in. Got homework.
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Enjoy your night, Arpeggio.
> 
> Hopefully one of us has a good one.

Demyx closed the app and repocketed his phone. He flopped back on the lounge couch, eyes squinting at the fluorescent lights above and his limbs ragdolling in uncomfortable directions. A good night, huh? It’d be better if he could spend time in his own room without having to engage in guerilla combat whenever he wanted to exist in his own space. Wishful thinking, he thought.

* * *

Ienzo stared at the chatlog open on his computer screen. The circle next to Arpeggio’s icon turned a dull gray, and the remaining bits of Ienzo’s hope for decent conversation dulled with it. He had finally caught up enough with his classwork to have some free time to spend, finally arranged to voice chat with Arpeggio, _finally_ gotten Demyx to leave the _god-forsaken room_ so he could have the one conversation he’d been looking forward to for _weeks_ , and now… nothing. All that planning, gone to waste. Another wave of irritation hit him, and suddenly he was out of bed and grabbing his keys. He needed some tea.

Ienzo didn’t get tea at the coffee shop, despite his plans. The alluring, hipster scent of pumpkin spice hit his nose instead, and he caved before he could stop himself.

The college employed students as baristas in the campus coffee shop, as part of the work-study financial aid, so it wasn’t uncommon to see one’s peers at the shop. “Hey, Ienzo,” Riku said. It was getting late; chairs were already on top of all the tables. They’d met in Ienzo’s anthropology class.

“I’m not too late, am I?”

“I can bend the rules for you.” He went back behind the counter. “What’ll it be? Your usual?”

He blushed guiltily. “Pumpkin spice. Please.” Curse that glorious, wonderful scent.

He smirked. “Coming right up.”

“I know it’s dreadfully popular.”

“Yeah, cause it’s _good_ ,” Riku said. “As long as you’re not one of those “half-caff, no whip, vanilla and almond, five shots” type of people.”

“Why complicate coffee so much?”

Riku handed him the paper cup. “At that point, just drink coffee-flavored syrup.” There was a pleasant lull for a moment. Riku began cleaning the espresso machine. “So why are you out so late? Don’t you have an early class tomorrow?”

Ienzo grimaced. “My roommate and I got into a fight.”

“...Again?”

“We are _not_ well suited for each other.” A sigh. “I went to the Residence Life office to try and apply for another room, but the period for that is over. I was told, and I quote, “unless he’s hurting you, tough it out.””

Riku chuckled. 

“He is simply-- _obnoxious_ ,” Ienzo continued, the pressing need to vent taking over. “Slobby, loud, and always around at _precisely_ the most inopportune times. I was supposed to have a call with a good friend of mine, and it took _some doing_ just to get him out.”

“Right, your Discord friend.”

“You have a good memory.” Ienzo swished the coffee around a little; it was slightly too hot to drink.

“The one you have a crush on,” Riku said with a grin.

Ienzo flushed painfully. “I do not have feelings for him,” he said.

“Dunno. You managed to bring that call up in almost every conversation we’ve had. If he was _really_ just your friend, would you be that excited? Enough to hype about it for weeks?”

Ienzo shrugged. “I do not know where he’s from, I don’t know his real name, I don’t even know what he _looks_ like. For all I know, he only uses he/him pronouns online.”

“And?”

“I just… see no reason to desire something I cannot have.”

Riku wiped at the counter. “Oh, don’t be so doom and gloom,” he said. “If the call matters so much, it’s going to happen eventually.”

“I know.” He smiled. “Well, thanks for the tea and sympathy. Er, coffee and sympathy.” 

“Any time.”

“Enjoy the rest of your night.”

“You too. Play nice.” 

“Just promise to bail me out if things go awry, will you?”

“Ha, on my salary?” Riku winked.

Ienzo left the coffee shop. He didn’t want to return to the dorms yet, but the fall night was calm and quiet. He checked his phone (maybe Arpeggio was free? Though he did say he had homework…).

As a stroke of luck, he had a message waiting for him.

> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** I have a room again! \o/ 
> 
> the jerk was gone when I got back!
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** How fortunate for you. I assume you’re flying through your homework now?
> 
> **Mel0d10us N0cturn3:** nope! :p 
> 
> this science paper is kicking my ass!
> 
> Im really no good at this sort of thing
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Do you have any tutors available? Ordinarily I’d love to help but it might be easier and more private to go there instead.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** \o/
> 
> We actually do have one of those tutoring centers I think! Thanks for the idea!
> 
> Don't want you to waste your special brain-powers on little ol’ me lol
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I’d hardly call helping you a waste of my “special brain powers.”
> 
> It’s not a bad idea to check your local resources though.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** o7
> 
> Don’t think I’m gonna make any progress on this paper tonight tho lol
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Giving up already? I didn’t have you pegged for a quitter.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Awww, come on! Don’t guilt meeee
> 
> My poor brain!
> 
> It’s mush!
> 
> ;-; will you not spare some mercy for my poor mushy brain?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I suppose just this once, provided you use your resources and go to the tutoring center.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** o7 Yes _sir_!
> 
> First thing in the morning!
> 
> My mushy brain thanks you for your mercy and endless kindness!

Ienzo’s cheeks grew warm, but whether it was from the message on the screen or the sip of pumpkin spice coffee currently running down his throat, he neither knew nor was willing to explore.

Despite the late hour, there were plenty of students milling about campus, taking up their little spaces. It had taken him some time to find an empty bench to sit on, but one eventually caught his eye and he claimed it immediately, sitting down with his coffee in one hand and phone in the other.

The sky was inky black, dotted with stars, the sun long gone by now. Nights were starting to grow just a tad chilly, the beginnings of autumn seeping into the atmosphere. It was Ienzo’s favorite season and the aroma of pumpkin spice wafting past his nose was just what he needed to make up for the disappointment of having his voice call with Arpeggio abruptly cancelled.

Well, maybe not entirely. He’d been _really_ looking forward to hearing Arpeggio’s voice for the first time, but this did nicely enough, he supposed. It was better than sitting around stewing in annoyance over his damned roommate anyway.

> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** so what are you up to right now?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** It’s a lovely night out. I needed some tea. Got coffee instead.
> 
> What is it about pumpkin spice that’s so irresistible? 
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Never wouldve pictured YOU as a devotee of the PSL.
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Guilty pleasure. 
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** theyre so good. I can’t have that many of them cause caffeine makes me SLEEPY
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me at all.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** whats _that_ supposed to mean?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Nothing derogatory, I assure you.
> 
> Though the idea of you being hopped up on caffeine amuses me.
> 
> You seem like one of those people who has energy all the time.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** i wish
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I should--begrudgingly--head back to my room.
> 
> You should try working on that paper.
> 
> I mean it about the tutor.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** yeah, yeah. I hear ya
> 
> Hopefully your roommates not being a dick anymore
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Fat chance.  
>    
>  **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** enjoy your coffee~~

* * *

Demyx sat for a long time looking at that exchange. He could’ve heard Zexion say those words. He was just so painfully _smart,_ but Demyx could listen to him say anything. About anything. For hours.

He showered and got ready for bed, hoping that Ienzo would _stay_ gone. But as it was, he was back. Ienzo scowled in greeting.

“Nice to see you too,” Demyx muttered. He noticed the coffee cup Ienzo had set down. Ienzo seemed to live on caffeine and spite. 

“I needed to clear my head, as I do not have the _luxury_ of privacy.”

“Well I gotta sleep somewhere,” Demyx said. He crawled into bed. Ienzo rolled his eyes. Demyx saw him grab his own shower caddy and head out to the communal bathroom. He thought he smelled--he blinked. Slowly, ever so slowly, he got up, crossed over to the cup, and sniffed it.

_Of course he likes pumpkin spice lattes,_ Demyx thought bitterly. _Ugh._

He went back to bed and fell asleep listening to music.

* * *

The universe thought it was just _so_ funny. Demyx had taken Zexion’s advice and the tutor he’d met with was his jerk of a roommate. At least Ienzo was unhappy too, if the scowl on his insufferably nerdy face was anything to go by.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Demyx blurted before he could stop himself.

“I _work_ here,” his jerk of a roommate answered in response, “as a tutor, for my work study. I take it your procrastinating finally caught up to you and you need some last-minute help?” Did he really have to be so damn condescending though?

Demyx hiked his backpack strap a bit higher on his shoulder and rapped his fingers on the tutoring center's reception desk. Ienzo could glare daggers at him all he wanted from his seat at the computer behind the desk, but the curious eyes of the other tutors and students around meant that he would have to maintain decorum. They _both_ would, lest Ienzo lose his job and Demyx lose his tutoring privileges. He took a deep breath. "I need help with a biology paper."

Ienzo's expression tightened. "Would you like to make an appointment?"

"No? You said it yourself: this is last-minute." Demyx tapped on the desk. "I need to talk to the science tutor on duty, please."

"It seems like we're both out of luck tonight, then," Ienzo replied dryly, absently clicking at something on the computer monitor. "I'm the science tutor on duty at the moment."

"You? Gross." 

"I'm not particularly happy about it right now, either."

Demyx considered his options, and cringed at his conclusions. His paper was due in two days, and it was only half-drafted. Without a passing grade on the assignment, he would set himself up to fail the class. Petty squabbles were not worth the hit to his GPA. He sighed. "Well, can you help? I'm kind of desperate, here."

Ienzo returned the sigh. "Fine. Follow me."

Demyx followed Ienzo around the reception desk to a square table in the far corner, a plastic chair on each side. Ienzo alighted onto the seat closest to the wall. "This better not be a waste of time."

Demyx pulled his laptop out of his backpack before sitting down across from Ienzo. "Has anyone ever told you that you have excellent people skills? Because if they did, they lied to you."

Ienzo rolled his eyes. _Yep_ , Demyx thought, _amazing people skills._ They were off to a _great_ start. Getting through this paper was going to be _agony_. "I'm paid to tutor, not practice social niceties."

The laptop screen lit up as Demyx swiped one finger over the trackpad. A screenshot from one of his more memorable raids in Verum Rex guarded the rest of his files behind his login password. Demyx typed his password as quickly as he could, shooing the image of his and Zexion's avatars away before Ienzo could ask any unwanted questions. Evidently, he did not type fast enough. 

“Verum Rex? You're familiar with it?” 

Demyx nearly jumped, shoulders tensing. He knew Ienzo was there; that shouldn’t have startled him as badly as it had.

“Duh? It's only the best MMO on the market right now. Not that you would know, since you're so committed to the whole 'smug asshole' thing,” He snarked on reflex, feeling slightly guilty about it afterwards. Ienzo was being friendly for once, or was at least making _something_ of an attempt at it. Yikes. Demyx wasn't usually one to make low blows like that. He opened the Biology folder on his computer and selected the draft of his paper, making an effort to get along with Ienzo while they were forced to sit together. "Please help me with this? If you would be so kind, please?" Demyx made praying-hands in Ienzo's direction in apology.

Eyebrow rising - was it just one, or both? - Ienzo shot him a look, obviously unamused in the slightest. “If you’re trying to be cute, it’s not going to work.”

Demyx pouted and opened up his biology paper, turning the laptop toward Ienzo. “Fine, fine, just help me?”

Rolling his eyes yet again, Ienzo was just about to lean in to read what Demyx had so far, when the familiar sound of a Discord ping had Demyx scrambling to turn the laptop back toward himself. Shit. He’d forgotten to close his Discord window before showing up at the tutoring center.

While Demyx closed the Discord app, Ienzo watched him carefully, contemplative. “You use Discord?”

Turning the laptop back, Demyx gave him a look, half in disbelief because surely Ienzo was too much of a nerd, but not in the cool way, to know what Discord was, and yet he did. Shit, it would be really awkward to end up in a server together. “Yeah, who doesn’t use Discord these days? I mean, especially if you play games or are into, I dunno, _any_ fan community stuff.”

For a moment, Ienzo said nothing, slowly turning to look at Demyx’s biology paper on the screen. “Alright, let’s see what we have to work with so far, if anything.”

Demyx sighed. Asshole.

* * *

Was this some kind of joke? Ienzo was being pranked, wasn’t he? Any moment now Demyx would start laughing about wasting his time and walk out, like the lazy slacker he was. Halfway through, he half collapsed on the table.

“This is impossible,” Demyx whined. “You don’t really understand this stuff, do you? You’ve gotta be lying.”

Ienzo felt his eye twitch. “Not all of us are lazy fools who give up after 15 minutes. Why are you even here?”

“Because my friend said I should, and I trust his advice. He never leads me wrong, so even if I have to spend time with _you_ , I’m gonna do this.” 

"Your friend sounds like he has the sense that you very much lack," Ienzo deadpanned, scrolling through Demyx's paper. He took stock of the misformatted section headings, missing in-text citations, and the off-center data table in the middle of the mess. The topic of the paper did not appear in any of Demyx's written work. "Can you tell me what this assignment is supposed to be? I can't tell from what you've given me."

"It's…" Demyx shrank back in his seat. "I don't know what it's supposed to be. My professor gave us all a table of data-results-things and told us to organize and analyze them. I don't know what he wants, exactly."

Ienzo huffed, and almost slammed Demyx's computer closed on the spot. Thankfully, his better faculties kept him from breaking Demyx's laptop. "There's your problem. You can't complete an assignment if you don't know what the assignment _is_. Email your professor for clarification and request an extension. If you do it early enough, they might grant you leniency."

"Really? _That's_ your advice? Beg my way out of it?"

"Not begging. Requesting. It shows forethought, self-awareness, and emotional maturity, even if you don't actually possess any of those things. The adage of faking proficiency to gain proficiency has some truth to it." Ienzo pushed the laptop over to Demyx. "Is there anything else I can help with?"

Demyx's arms crossed, and his expression took on the quality of a betrayed toddler. "You didn't even help me with what I came in for, asshole."

Ienzo waved away Demyx's indignation with a dismissive hand. "There's only so much I, or _any_ tutor, can do without having a good idea of what your professor expects. Emailing is the best advice I can give right now."

"So if I email my professor, you’ll help me?” 

“I give you my word.” A promise made in haste, if only to appease the barest responsibilities of his job. Hopefully Demyx wouldn’t make him live to regret it.

Not long after Demyx was gone, Ienzo checked his Discord app, surreptitiously on his phone behind the reception desk, to find a message from Arpeggio.

> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Zexy, this worst thing ever just happened!
> 
> My roommate is my tutor!
> 
> Save meeeeeee
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** That is peculiar. Though colleges are small worlds, so I hear.
> 
> What did he have to say re: the paper?
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Ugh he couldn’t even help
> 
> Because I had licherally no idea what the professor wants
> 
> I mean, the dude has an F on ratemyprofessor so
> 
> He said to email and beg for clarity and an extension
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** ...That is sound advice, actually.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Youre taking his side???
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Not exactly.
> 
> But in academic situations, it always looks good on you to take the initiative and seek help when you need it.
> 
> I guarantee the professor will work with you, and perhaps be able to refine that same assignment in the future.
> 
> If he’s worth his salt, he’s seeking to improve himself the way you are.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** I GUESS
> 
> You wanna do a raid tonite? 
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Alas, I, too, am a college student with coursework.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** RUDE

Ienzo leaned back in his chair in the campus library. How coincidental, he thought. He’d just given Demyx the same advice. Then again, college papers--especially in the sciences--were not always diverse on the gen ed level. He recalled Demyx’s paper; he should’ve asked him to see the email, or post, or handout with the assignment on it. Chances are the moron had merely misunderstood.

Demyx liked Verum Rex. Perhaps they could have this to talk about. Ienzo wondered who he mained. _Probably Yozora,_ he thought with a sneer. 

> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Actually, I can do one raid.
> 
> ONE. _Brief._ Raid.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Thats more like it! \o/

One raid turned into two, then Ienzo ended up staying in the library, at the tutoring center, until it closed.

* * *

Demyx begrudgingly took Ienzo’s advice. After his marathon raid session with Zexion, he sent a brief email--agonizing over the wording--to his professor, who responded almost instantly with an apology. Several students had already asked him about the assignment, it turned out, so he was going to extend the entire class’s deadline. But if Demyx needed a few days after that, he could have it.

“You were right,” Demyx murmured out loud, as he read the email the next morning. 

“Of course I was,” Ienzo said, not looking up from his desk. “See? All it takes is a little maturity.”

The irony. Demyx grimaced. He looked over at him. “So you’ll help me?”

“When--and _only_ when--I am on duty,” he said. “I have a life outside of work, you know.”

Demyx wondered how true that was. Ienzo spent a lot of the time in the room if he were not in class or in the library. Did he have friends? Did he go to societies? He nearly asked. Then he looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time in weeks. He had bags under his eyes, and was washed out, books spread in a circle around him. “Outside of studying, too?”

Ienzo opened his mouth, then shut it. “I am not here to socialize. I am here for a degree.”

“But don’t you… have any friends?”

“Of course I do,” Ienzo said, just a little too quickly. 

Like he would honestly tell Demyx. “Sure,” he said, shutting his laptop and tucking it into his bag. “Well. I got class. I’ll see you at the center later?”

“Much to my chagrin,” Ienzo responded evenly.

Demyx’s day was ordinary other than that. After the professor clarified what he wanted in class (and, to Demyx’s immense relief, it was much less daunting than what he’d thought), he stopped by the library to check out some books which might point him in a vague direction. Ienzo could tell him if they were any good. He stopped by the coffee shop to grab a croissant and a coffee, and, on impulse, got one for Ienzo as well. The idea of it made him nervous. _Maybe I’ll say they made an extra by mistake,_ he thought. He already knew Ienzo drank them.

There Ienzo was, sitting in the office. “It’s you,” he said in an unreadable tone.

“It’s me.” He cleared his throat. “Um…” He thrust out the coffee without saying anything else.

“Is this for me?”

“Uh, yeah.” He felt his face heat--though why? 

Ienzo took it, looking confused, and sniffed the small hole in the lid. “Oh,” he said softly.

“I wasn’t sure if you liked--”

“No. I do. That was kind of you.” He blinked, his expression odd, slackened; Demyx realized it was without malice. “Let’s get to work, shall we? I don’t want this to take any longer than it has to.”

Ienzo helped him structure the paper, and reviewed proper citations with him. It would take a little work, but seeing it outlined, Demyx felt a lot less overwhelmed. Something he thought was a mammoth project would maybe take an hour or two to write.

“Once you have it written, come back and I can help you with grammar and syntax,” Ienzo said.

“Awesome.” He took a deep breath. “I feel… a lot better now.”

“One typically does when one stops procrastinating,” Ienzo said. He leaned back in his seat. For a second--but just one--he sounded like Zexion, all firm and proper, genteel without being rigid.

* * *

"You got your grade back already?"

Demyx beamed as he held his laptop screen-out, his browser logged into the university's online grading system. One score was listed under BIO 101, labelled "Paper 1." The percentage displayed next to the assignment name was higher than Ienzo expected from Demyx. "I didn't completely fail!" he practically cheered.

"So you didn't," Ienzo agreed, nodding slightly at the number from his desk. "It's amazing what a bit of work will do."

Demyx dropped himself onto his bed and turned his laptop. He bounced on the mattress a few times while he looked at the number. "This is the best news I've gotten all semester and it's the _best_ feeling. Is this what it's like to be a genius and get good grades all the time?"

Ienzo returned his attention to his own laptop, where a half-drafted essay mocked him with its blinking text cursor and nonsensical thesis statement. He clacked another line of bullshit into the document. It was for English class, he reminded himself. Any answer was correct if it could be argued well. "No, not really. You get used to it."

"I… I should thank you," Demyx said, after a beat of silence. "For your help. I wouldn't have had anything to turn in at all if you hadn't told me to email my professor."

Another line of bullshit trailed across the screen. Ienzo squinted at it, unsure of what he had typed. "Don't mention it. It's my job."

"But still. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Ienzo could hear Demyx shuffling on his bed. "So… you play Verum Rex?"

"Fairly regularly, yes."

"Do you do raids or multiplayer at all?"

Ienzo shot Demyx a warning glance. "I already have a raiding group. I'm not looking for another one."

Across the room, Demyx had tucked himself into bed, his Star Wars sheets pulled all the way up to his chin. He blinked at Ienzo unceremoniously. "Jeez, forget I asked. No need to be snippy about it."

Demyx's head disappeared under the covers, and Ienzo returned his attention to his essay. At least, he tried. The Discord notifications in the corner of his screen kept distracting him.

Eventually, Ienzo admitted defeat and opened Discord. All of the messages were from Arpeggio.

> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** hey, do we have an opening on our raiding party?
> 
> Zexion?
> 
> Oh nvm he said no
> 
> What are you up to?
> 
> I'm taking a victory nap after getting a good grade on that paper I had to 
> 
> write a while back
> 
> My roommate is typing something and he's _so loud_
> 
> What is he writing that makes him so angy
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I am also typing angrily at something
> 
> It is a universal collegiate experience
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** still so angy tho
> 
> Are you angy atm?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I am… frustrated
> 
> I'm meant to be dissecting the themes in a short story but I feel like I'm only spewing garbage on the page
> 
> Perhaps if I present the garbage with enough conviction, I will be able to maneuver through this class
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** if youre writing it, it's definitely not garbage :P
> 
> you need to have more confidence in yourself, Zexy
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Ha. I think my roommate would disagree
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** well then he's a bum
> 
> Tell him that
> 
> Arpeggio says so

Ienzo looked back at Demyx, cocooned in spaceship bed sheets and doing who-knows-what under the cover of bed linens. He thought he saw the flash of a phone screen through the fabric, but the light disappeared as quickly as he caught it.

> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I'll pass. He seems busy.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Busy doing what? Bum things?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I certainly hope not. We're in the same room right now.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** oh. Awkward
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I’ll say.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** so you know ive been thinking
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Have you? What a concept.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** ha ha.
> 
> Its been a while since we tried voice chatting
> 
> Maybe we could try again?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** You would want that?
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** I want to hear your voice. To see if youre actually as smart as you write
> 
> Maybe youve got, like, a transatlantic accent, or something. Thatd be cool

Ienzo blinked, staring hard at the screen. His heart beat a little faster. It was so hard to determine tone through text. 

> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Maybe I’m not as cool as I seem.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** highly, HIGHLY doubt it
> 
> Youve kept me sane
> 
> I really appreciate our

Ienzo saw him type “thing” and then frenetically edit to “friendship.” He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

> **The Cloaked Schemer:** The feeling is mutual.

A long, long pause. Ienzo did not know what else to say. His face was burning.

> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Normally I’d rather be caught dead than admit this.
> 
> But it does get somewhat lonely here.
> 
> It’s nice to have someone to talk to.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** I know what u mean
> 
> Sometimes i feel like i dont really know who i am
> 
> And like college is supposed to be about finding that
> 
> But its hard.
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** You don’t have to tell me twice.
> 
> Part of why it’s so easy to exist in online spaces, in games. Appearance doesn’t matter. It’s like being a more concentrated version of oneself.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Do u feel like a more concentrated version of yourself?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** When I talk to you.

Ienzo’s heart was pounding. He thought he heard Demyx sigh across the room. Was he typing too hard?

Arpeggio started and stopped typing several times, just making Ienzo more nervous. _What is he going to say? Did I push it too hard? Was I too forward?_

> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Me too, Zexion
> 
> I wish we knew each other. Like, irl
> 
> Getting to do raids in person
> 
> That would be so fun
> 
> And i dunno, maybe do other things
> 
> Go out to eat. Go to the movies. Maybe go dancing.
> 
> Do u like clubs?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I’ve never been.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** it takes some getting used to
> 
> But the energy of a crowd is electric
> 
> Especially with people you know

_Oh god oh god oh god_ , Ienzo thought. His hands were trembling. 

> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Where would we go to eat?
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** anywhere you want
> 
> Well. on a college students budget anyway
> 
> -laughs in poor
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Ah, so, five star cuisine, then.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Just dont order the lobster
> 
> In all seriousness. We need to vc sometime
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Yes.
> 
> There’s going to be a raid event on Saturday. Perhaps then?
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Depends on if i have the room :/ 
> 
> Wanna say yes so bad
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** I know the feeling.
> 
> I suppose if I get desperate enough I can rent out a study cubicle in the library.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Awww you’d do that for little ol’ me?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Yes, I

His finger slipped, hitting the enter key a moment too soon before he could even finish the thought in his head. His hands felt almost clammy, the inner mechanizations of his mind working on overdrive, as if trying to race against the pitter-patter beat of his heart. Shit. Perhaps… Riku was right after all? Had Ienzo, usually so level-headed, actually developed a crush on Arpeggio? It was utterly nonsensical, and yet he couldn’t deny that he felt a comfort with Arpeggio that he didn’t feel with anyone else he knew, online _or_ offline. Was it possible to fall- ...to develop a smattering of feelings for someone based on typed text alone?

Well, wasn’t that a theme in literature? Two people falling in love over written letters? For all Ienzo knew, there could very well have been instances of it happening in real life, in the days of old, long, _long_ before the age of technology and the internet. A pair of penpals, miles and miles of distance between them, communicating through the written word; it could happen, couldn’t it?

Hold on. When the hell did he turn into a _sap_? Frowning, Ienzo ran a hand over his face, feeling like a lovestruck fool.

No. No, this couldn’t be a crush. Just because it was so easy to talk to him, just because they’d been talking for a year or so by now, it didn’t mean-

> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Zexy?
> 
> You ok?

Shit, how long had he zoned out for? 

> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Sorry. Got distracted.
> 
> But regardless, I think we should aim for Saturday.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Great!
> 
> Hoping we don’t get interrupted by our dick roomies
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Quite. It’s a date, then.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Yes :3

Ienzo took a deep breath. Regardless as to whether or not this was practical, it seemed that Arpeggio reciprocated his flirting.

Wait. Ienzo looked at the screen, cheeks heating up as he realized he’d typed the word _‘date,’_ and Arpeggio said _‘yes_.’ He couldn’t deny the little flutter of his stomach in that moment.

* * *

Demyx set his phone aside, his heart beating heavily in his chest, his face bright red. He swallowed. There was no way sleep would come easily now, and it probably wouldn’t be until Saturday.

He thought about the nature of crushes. He’d never seen Zexy’s face, or heard his voice, but he was so adept at weaving words in the way Demyx wanted to be with music. He tried to imagine him, what he might be like.

He rolled onto his back. Ienzo’s frenetic, noisy typing had stopped. Demyx sat up, rubbed his eyes, and pretended he’d been napping the whole time. “You good?”

Ienzo shut his computer quickly, like he’d been doing something questionable. “Yes. Fine.” He was a little out of breath. _What the hell had he been writing?_

Demyx blinked. “I’m gonna go get a coffee,” he said instead. “Want me to bring you one back?”

“Sure,” Ienzo said, his face flushed.

Demyx shook his head. Well. If Ienzo needed to take care of _that_ he had at least a few minutes now. “Cool.”

The whole time he was at the coffee shop, he kept thinking about Zexion, all their little conversations. It was evolving, and evolving fast. Demyx knew from brief experimentation with dating apps that just because a person sent you some flirty words didn’t mean anything would come of it. For all he knew, Zexion lived in New Zealand, or something.

That didn’t stop him from wanting it.

He drew a deep breath, exhaled. Well. Saturday he would find out.

Demyx wasn’t going to let Ienzo ruin his chances of meeting Zexion. He decided to strike preemptively, pausing at the door of their dorm room and sucking in a breath, steeling himself. He could do this. He could ask his roommate for the room for one night, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Hey, so, I have a thing Saturday,” he said vaguely. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t coming off as strongly as he intended, but he could still try. “Mind if I hang here alone for a few hours?”

Ienzo glanced up. The flush was gone, and he seemed much more composed. “Yes, that’s fine. I was going to go study anyway.”

“Study? Don’t you ever have any fun?”

“Perhaps I find studying fun,” Ienzo said.

“Suit yourself.” As he passed on his way back to the bed, he saw out of the corner of his eye that Ienzo had Discord open.

* * *

Friday night, Demyx barely slept. He wasn’t sure _why_ he was so nervous. Crushes didn’t usually… hit him this hard. _It’s dumb. It’s so dumb._ His loneliness was getting to him. Even Saturday morning, there were some hours until the events started. He looked at his DM history with Zexion. They’d spoken briefly, only to confirm a time and place for their characters to meet and chat. He sat at his desk, his hands trembling, as the game booted up.

> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** You ready?
> 
> **The Cloaked Schemer:** Of course.
> 
> **M3l0d10us N0cturn3:** Cool.
> 
> My mic isnt like great
> 
> But you can still hear me

He was shaking. He was _shaking._ “Get it together,” he muttered to himself.

> **The Cloaked Schemer:** You’re a broke college student. I’m not expecting a professional setup here.
> 
> Though I will say my booth is pleasantly soundproofed.
> 
> Let me connect.

And Demyx thought his heart might stop. _I’m so gay,_ he thought. A second later he heard that familiar call connection. He twitched a little, and his mic clattered loudly on the floor. _Shit!_

“Arpeggio? Are you alright?”

“I just dropped the--”

A long, long pause.

_He knew that voice._

“Zexion?” He picked up the mic and set it down.

“Arpeggio?”

“I dropped the mic.” Demyx swallowed.

“You…” Zexion fumbled for words. “Speak a little more, please.”

“Is that really you?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re in a library right now.”

“And you had an event… Saturday.” 

“Ohh my god,” Demyx mumbled. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, just that he was feeling a _lot_ of it. “Ienzo. _You’re_ Zexion?”

“It’s an anagram,” he said, his tone numb.

“Seriously, this whole time--”

“Evidently.”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but at the same time, there was something _warm_ in his chest.

Wait, no. _No._ This was Ienzo, and they _hated_ each other--

Demyx realized he was panicking. He also, vaguely, in the back of his mind, realized the call had disconnected.

Demyx spent the next few minutes desperately trying to control his breathing, trying to not focus on how Zexion- No, Ienzo- was so disgusted it was him that he’d immediately dropped the call.

Of course. Of fucking course. The universe hated him. The universe had it out for him, surely. Why else would this have happened? He finally meets this sweet, smart, wonderful guy who takes him _seriously_ and actually likes _talking_ to him, on a _regular basis_ , and then… And then… It turns out to be the very same roommate who hates him. That _would_ just be his damned luck, wouldn’t it?

Grabbing his pillow, Demyx face-planted into it, pressing it furiously against his eyes to stop them from burning, to stop the tears that threatened to spill. Of all the people it could’ve been. Why _Ienzo_? 

Demyx had been nervous enough as it was, afraid the person on the other end would think him annoying - his voice, his tone, the way he just couldn’t fucking shut up sometimes when he got excited about something. Alternatively, the filter between his brain and his mouth was immensely weaker than the filter between his brain and his fingers, and he could’ve said the wrong thing, unable to stop himself in the same way his hand can catch itself on the enter key before hitting it, or quickly delete the message before Zexion could read it.

But this was _so_ much worse, because Ienzo already knew him, already had an impression of him, and that impression was _far_ from good. It’s no wonder he disconnected the call so suddenly. He likely couldn’t stand hearing the truth any longer, stomach churning with disgust, head filled to bursting with regret, and not just regret over the voice call, but _everything_.

An almost entire year’s worth of conversations, soiled now, because Demyx was, well, _Demyx_. A slob. A slacker. An idiot. He wasn’t worth Ienzo’s time, and now he knew he wasn’t worth Zexion’s.

A sharp ache spread over his chest, cold and numbing, all of him tense with it. He… _liked_ Zexion. He very genuinely liked him, so excited to get to talk to him, his bristling nerves aside. All week he’d thought about it, daydreaming, wondering what the person on the other end would sound like, if he’d love that voice as much as he loved the text on his Discord screen.

It no longer mattered, not when it was now clear that Zexion - no, _Ienzo_ , was utterly disgusted with him.

It was over. It was all over - their friendship, a year’s worth of personal conversations, these budding feelings he was beginning to have, or that he’s _been_ having for a while now…

On the flipside, was _Demyx_ disappointed that it turned out to be Ienzo? He… didn’t know the answer to that, still reeling in the fact that Zexion, his dear friend and crush, _hated_ him.  
  
The pillow was starting to suffocate him and he instinctively pulled it away from his face, eyes still burning. He sucked in some deep breaths and just when he was finally on the cusp of calming down, his door swung open so fast Demyx feared it’d break off the hinges. 

Ienzo leveled him with a determined stare. “ **You**.”

* * *

Ienzo sat.

And sat.

And stared, and sat some more.

He was dizzy. Slowly, so slowly, all the pieces clicked together. The coffee. The references to Verum Rex. How they were always _just_ missing each other. The whole tutoring scenario. Good _god_. So this person he’d been harboring feelings for this whole time was--

He pressed a hand to his forehead. And yet, a small part of him… was relieved?

It could be…

No, it couldn’t _be_ anything! They _hated_ each other! They’d complained to each other _about_ each other more times than Ienzo could count. They had--

Ienzo felt the walls of the study booth begin to close in around him, pushing the breathable air out of the room. His ribcage constricted around his lungs, and his heartbeat pounded at his temples. He gathered his laptop and microphone in his arms and burst out of the room, chest heaving.

He braced himself against the outer wall of the study booth and willed himself to breathe normally, his head tilted all the way back to rest on the door. This was real life, and he was fine. He would _be_ fine, anyway, with a bit of finessing. Okay, perhaps a little more than a bit.

Ienzo retrieved his backpack and stowed his equipment inside as he analyzed the situation. Arpeggio and Demyx were the same person. A strange revelation, but not world-ending. He could find another raiding party. He could join another server. There was more than one person with whom to play Verum Rex.

But--

Ienzo caught himself zipping and unzipping the top pocket of his backpack, more forcefully than necessary each time. A new server didn't sound appealing. A new raiding party, even less so. He would have to chat with new people, learn their idiosyncrasies and fighting styles, learn their _pseudonyms_ and remember how they differed from their usernames. It all sounded so… hard, and boring, and unnecessary. 

He zipped his backpack closed for the last time and held it at his side by its tiny top handle. Its back straps kicked at his calves as he raced out of the study area, through the main lobby, and into the courtyard. His mind was set. His choice was clear. The only thing to do was follow through.

Ienzo made a beeline back to the room. He found Demyx sitting cross-legged on his own bed, his computer accessorized with a small budget microphone and his face awash with something that looked like guilt. His eyes widened when Ienzo crossed the threshold. 

" **You**." Ienzo's statement rang out like a gong.

Demyx swallowed. "Yeah?"

"We need to talk." Ienzo shut the door behind himself. It slammed closed, though Ienzo had not intended for that. 

"...yeah." Demyx turned back to his computer, fiddling at the USB port where his microphone connected to the rest of the machine. "Ienzo, I--"

"Shut up." Ienzo stalked into the room, single-minded. He stopped at the edge of Demyx's bed. "Shut up and listen, for once."

Demyx's shoulders rose to his ears. He stayed quiet.

Ienzo dropped his backpack to the floor. Though his fingers trembled, his resolve held firm. The moment of reckoning was upon him. "Did you know?"

Demyx shook his head.

"Did you want to know?"

He responded in a whisper, pained and hushed. "I wanted to meet Zexion."

Ienzo's hands trembled faster. He balled them into fists to compensate. "And now that you know," he said, "do you regret it? Wanting to know? Learning the truth?"

A tear trailed down Demyx's downcast cheek. "No."

Something deep inside Ienzo wanted to reach out and wipe away the tears that followed, while Demyx's breath caught in gasps over his laptop keyboard. Ienzo steeled himself. "I… don't regret it, either."

"You don't?" Demyx looked up and met Ienzo's gaze with caution. Aside from the red tinge at their edges, his eyes looked almost hopeful. 

Ienzo softened, relaxed his fists. "I don't want to find a new server, or a new raiding party."

Sniffling, Demyx nodded. "I don't, either."

"I don't want to stop talking to Arpeggio," Ienzo continued, his heart playing timpanis in his chest. "He is a close friend of mine."

"He's also your lazy roommate." Another tear escaped, this time going down the side of Demyx's nose. Demyx wiped at it with the heel of his hand. "Ienzo, I--"

"We've had differences. We've also had commonalities, albeit in virtual space. There's no reason we cannot bring the two together."

"Ienzo--"

"There's no reason we should be at each other's throats. We--"

"Ienzo!" 

He blinked. The drum performance in his chest missed a beat, then started from the top at full speed. "Yes?"

Demyx unplugged the microphone from his computer, sighed, and tossed it to the far edge of his bed. "I don't think that will work."

Ienzo frowned and crossed his arms. He was beginning to remember why he and Demyx didn't get along in meatspace. "Why, pray tell, is that?" he asked.

Demyx swallowed again, more conspicuously than before. "It's just… I…"

Ienzo leaned forward, his head cocked to the side. "You what?"

"I, um, I…"

"Go on. I don't have all night."

Demyx pushed his computer aside and drew his knees into his chest. "I… shit. I had a thing for Zexion." His shoulders hitched with sardonic laughter. "Shit. Fuck. This sucks." He reached behind himself for his pillow and buried his face in it. "This is so embarrassing," he whined, his voice muffled.

Ienzo's budding anger deflated. "You… you did?"

Demyx nodded into his pillow. "Uh-huh. And now you know, too."

Ienzo opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't make the words in his head form coherent phrases. His throat sputtered with half-formed consonants instead. Words. For fuck’s sake, wasn’t he _good_ at words? Why was this suddenly so damn hard?

"This is the _worst,"_ Demyx groaned. "Just kill me now. Make it look like an accident. Tell my family I loved them. Don't let my sister take my bedroom at home."

Ienzo's faculties returned in the bumbling, clumsy way that drunkards stumbled home from dank local pubs. "I... don't think that will be necessary," Ienzo managed, through his own confusion.

"No?" Demyx put his pillow back in its place, and faced Ienzo with dried saline clumping in his eyelashes. "What, are you gonna torture me instead? Make me regret being born? Because you're a little late on that front, buddy, I already do."

Ienzo took a deep breath. His crossed arms dropped to his side, then held each other at the elbows. "I may have developed… similar feelings. For Arpeggio." Ienzo's mouth went dry. The drum performance upgraded itself to a full marching band drumline, twenty-five snare drums pounding paradiddles and rolls in synchronized sweeps. 

A silence consumed the space between them, interrupted only by Demyx's sniffling and Ienzo's heartbeat. It stretched into the abyss and the stratosphere in equal measure, and stung more acutely than the idea of never speaking to Arpeggio again.

Demyx broke the silence by clearing his throat. "So…"

Ienzo coughed. "So..."

"Are we…" Demyx unfolded his legs and swung them over the side of his bed. His hands grasped at his mattress, and his head hung from his shoulders "Are we, y'know… do we still, like…"

"Do you want to be?" Ienzo shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Friends, cohorts, party members, server mutuals? Or…"

"Or what?" 

"Or…" Ienzo trailed off. Or what, indeed? Friends with benefits? Significant others? _Boyfriends?_ The mere thought made Ienzo's palms sweat. "Or…"

In the moment between Ienzo's efforts to name his emotions and act on them, Demyx had sprung up from the bed and slipped his hands around the sides of Ienzo's face, his thumbs resting just below the apples of Ienzo's cheeks. His breath tickled at Ienzo's nose and lips. "Or… this?"

Heat seared at every inch of Ienzo's face. If he could feel Demyx's breath, Demyx could feel his as well. "...I suppose, yes."

"In that case," Demyx murmured, somehow purring and wavering at the same time, "tell me no." He rested his forehead on Ienzo's. "Tell me no, and we won't. I promise. Things can go back to normal."

A whimper, wholly undignified and unbidden, escaped from Ienzo's higher register. "I can't," he whispered.

Demyx leaned forward, and Ienzo followed. At some point, they met in the middle, and the world's axis shifted two degrees to the left. It was a tentative press of lips, but Demyx’s hands on his face kept him anchored. It didn’t feel like Ienzo thought it would, and self-consciousness invaded. Suddenly Ienzo felt _very_ young and immature; _vulnerable_.

But… after a moment or so, not so much. Demyx was so warm against him, and Ienzo realized it was a learning curve, one he was picking up with his usual speed. He was shaking a little in disbelief. It was so-- _nice._

Demyx pulled away and brushed his fingers across his cheek. "You're trembling."

"Forgive me. I--" He swallowed.

"No, it's cool." Demyx pulled away and smiled, brighter than Ienzo had ever seen someone smile before. "Do you… want to go again?"

Ienzo did, very much so. "I'm not opposed, per se, but I think we should… explore our relationship a bit. Perhaps starting with our mutual interest in pumpkin spice flavors." 

“Sounds like a plan to me, Zexy,” Demyx grinned.

* * *

Riku set the pair of pumpkin spice lattes down on the little square table in the back corner of the coffeeshop, glancing at Ienzo, then Demyx, then back at Ienzo, one eyebrow shooting up into his hair. “Is the world ending? Did I miss a memo on the corkboard in the back room?”

Ienzo coughed. He was vaguely aware of the heat rising in his cheeks. Damn it all to hell. Of course Riku was here, why would it have been anyone else? Sighing, he gestured to Demyx, bracing himself for the inevitable bit of humiliation, courtesy of the one friend who knew about his very apparent crush on his Discord friend. “Riku, meet Arpeggio.”

Riku’s other eyebrow shot up into his hair. “You’re shitting me.”

Demyx looked across the table at Zexion, clearly trying to fight the incoming of a shit-eating grin. “You talked about me to people?”

"Only the unimportant ones," Ienzo said, picking up his cup and sipping loudly.

“Psh,” Riku spat with a roll of his eyes. “Yeah, and every damn minute of the day. If I had a dollar for every time you made heart eyes at the ceiling while talking about him, I could quit this job and pay off my tuition.”

Ienzo balked at that, nearly choking on his latte. “It was _not_ that often.”

Waving a hand, Riku corrected himself, looking pointedly at Demyx. “Wait, no, he’s right. I’m forgetting that half the time, he’d be complaining about his horrible room-”

“Shouldn’t you be behind the counter?” Ienzo hissed, glaring at Riku. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Demyx’s gaze flicking between him, like he was watching a game of ping-pong. “Or should I text Sora and Kairi about all those little hearts you like to draw around their names on the garbage receipts every time they come in?”

"Go ahead. I'm ninety percent sure they're both into me, anyway."

Ienzo pulled his phone from his pocket and brandished it at Riku. "Are you willing to test that theory?"

"Make sure you write it down," Demyx chirped, blowing into the hole in his drink's lid. "If you write it down, it's science. I learned that in Biology this semester."

"I'll do more than _that,"_ Ienzo said, tapping on his phone screen with both hands. After his phone played a short 'whoosh' sound, he placed it face-down on the table. "Images sent. Now we wait for our results."

Riku scoffed, then balked, then turned beet-red. "You're an asshole," he hissed through his teeth.

"Relax. I was just kidding,” Ienzo said with a glint in his eye that Demyx barely caught.

"Forgive me if I’m a bit skeptical." Riku scowled for a moment, but eventually softened into a smirk. "Whatever. Enjoy your Discord date, Casanova." He knocked on the table once before returning to the checkout counter.

"Discord date?" Demyx asked, taking a swig of his pumpkin spice latte. "I thought we were hanging out in real life."

"Let's not split hairs. We're about to see a show." Ienzo jutted his chin in the direction of the cafe's front door. As if on cue, Sora and Kairi burst through it like a duo on a mission.

“Oh Riiiiiiiiku!” they chorused in sing-song at the top of their lungs.

"Sometimes," Ienzo said, turning back to Demyx, "I like to watch the world burn."

“Yeah, I know. That’s actually kind of hot,” Demyx admitted, taking another sip of his latte. "Remind me not to piss you off again, though."


End file.
